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"If you go in and you change 100 things at once, it's overwhelming, and you are not going to be successful," says Carol Wolin-Riklin, a clinical dietitian who runs a medical weight-loss clinic at UT Health in Houston.

DO: Target one habit at a time. First, try to avoid liquid calories, for example. After two or three weeks, when that becomes a part of your lifestyle, work on avoiding fried foods, then decreasing portion size, and so on.

DON'T: Be hard on yourself

DO: Treat yourself kindly. "Most people are really, really mean to themselves when they're trying to shape up or slim down," says Jean Fain, a therapist and author of The Self-Compassion Diet: A Step-by-Step Program to Lose Weight With Loving-Kindness (Sounds True, $16.95).

That meanness inspires feelings such as disgust and shame, which fuel emotional overeating.

Instead, treat yourself as you'd treat a loved one: with care and concern. If you drastically deprive yourself of calories, it's likely you will feel ravenous - and vulnerable to the call of ice cream or chips.

If you crave junk food, examine your emotions to determine whether you're truly hungry or if you have emotions you want to numb.

Besides, you want to change habits for life, not just to drop weight fast, advises Jan Tilley, a registered dietitian in San Antonio.

"Even if you lose weight, you'll likely gain it back when you end the diet," she says.

DON'T: Go it alone

DO: Get as much support as possible, advises Dr. James Beckerman, a cardiologist and author of The Flex Diet: Design Your Own Weight-Loss Plan (Simon &amp; Schuster, $24.99).

Join a support group (online or otherwise), use automated reminders, such as daily texts, to help you stick to your goals, find a weight-loss buddy and get the support of your significant other.

DON'T: Make unrealistic goals

DO: Set goals that are achievable and fit your lifestyle. If you didn't like the gym last year, why would you love it this year? Instead, try a fitness DVD, a Wii Fit game or something else you actually enjoy.

And if you don't lose all that excess weight right away? Don't give up.